Accident on I 57 in Williamson County with one fatality

Illinois State Police photo

MARION, IL- Interstate 57 northbound between exits 45 and 53 is closed due to a traffic crash. Please seek alternate routes until further notice.

This is located at the Route 148 exit, just north of the Interstate 24 interchange.  Traffic on Routes 37 and 148 northbound could become heavy in Williamson County.

From the Williamson County Emergency Management Agency 

UPDATE:
All lanes have been reopened at this time to normal flow as of 2:45 P.M..

TRAFFIC ALERT
The Illinois State Police is currently on scene with a multiple vehicle crash on I57 North Bound at Mile Post 47.
There are injuries and one confirmed fatality. Traffic backed up from the construction was stopped and a semi rear ended a passenger vehicle pushing it into the rear of a second semi.

ISP FATAL TRAFFIC CRASH ALERT
The Following Preliminary Information is Being Released by Illinois State Police District 13
WHAT: Three Vehicle Fatal Traffic Crash

WHERE: I57 North Bound Mile Post 47, Williamson County

WHEN: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 at 10:14 A.M.

VEHICLES: 2016 Freightliner in 5 axle combination, a full sized 2002 GMC van, and a 2010 Kenworth in 5 axle combination

DRIVERS: Freightliner – Willie Lee Shelby, a 62 year old male of Madison, MS – Minor injuries – Transported via ambulance to a local hospital.

GMC – Wayne S. Maxwell, a 57 year old male of O’Fallon, IL – Fatally injured – Pronounced deceased on scene by Williamson County Coroner Burke

Kenworth – Jagpreet Singh, a 27 year old male of Lenexa, KS – Uninjured

PASSENGER: Kenworth – Sarbjit Singh, a 32 year old male of Lenexa, KS – Uninjured

PRELIMINARY: Preliminary investigative details indicate traffic on I57 North Bound was backed up due to a construction project that began at mile post 48. All three of the involved vehicles in this incident were north bound at mile post 47. The Kenworth was leading, followed by the GMC. Both of these vehicles were slowed nearly to a stop for the backed up traffic. The Freightliner struck the rear of the GMC shoving it into the rear of the Kenworth causing the fatal injuries to Maxwell.
All north bound traffic was diverted off of I57 at Exit 45 until approximately 2:45 P.M. when it resumed normal flow. All three vehicles were towed from the scene due to damage.

CHARGES: Shelby was cited for Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid a Crash. Additional charges could be levied pending further investigation by Illinois State Police Crash Reconstruction Officers.
All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.